Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Official Live Thread - The Closing Ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics
The Daily Herald; Vanity ^ | 2/24/2002 | John Branch

Posted on 02/24/2002 2:29:17 PM PST by Utah Girl

Little things that make up lasting Olympic memories

The Olympics are too big to put into one box, so we divide them into bite-size pieces.In the end, there is no way to remember complete events, the sequential results, even what day they occurred. The names get fuzzier with each memory stored on top of the next one.

For millions of people, the Olympics were what NBC brought to them. They were up close, sometimes in slow-motion, spliced into digestible nuggets with a backdrop of endless analysis. The lasting images may be of Sarah Hughes' squeal, or Apolo Ohno's fall, maybe Jimmy Shea's photograph of his grandfather. Maybe it's of Bob Costas in an easy chair.

I'm only assuming he was in an easy chair, probably near a fireplace. I never saw NBC's coverage. The one time I saw Bob Costas, he was eating kung pao in a restaurant. I did catch Matt Lauer in a beret once, but that might have been a bad dream.

My images rarely were the same ones everyone else saw. Friends and family would send e-mails, asking about controversies and events that I knew nothing about. I tried to explain that I was too close to the Olympics to have a clue what was going on.

But I know I was there.

I know because I saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir joining the wave at

the Opening Ceremony. I heard helicopters buzzing overhead, impossible not to notice when the music and the cheering stopped. I remember swimming through a crowd of young girls outside the stadium, each in an oversize, fluffy costume and anxiously waiting her worldwide role as an extra in the ceremonies. It was like walking through a giant bag of cotton balls, except they all wanted to high-five.

I remember standing in a crowd of Polish fans, cheering Poland ski jumper and national hero Adam Malysz while getting cell-phone calls from a world away. I got shivers when the crowd erupted over Jonny Moseley's dinner roll -- twice. I got them again when the crowd gave a similar reception to a skier who face-planted among the moguls, hiked back up to retrieve his skis, and finished the race.

I heard tiny Bonnie Blair, standing on her toes to get a better view, rattling a cow bell for every speedskater that passed, American or not. I saw Chris Witty enter the interview room, and was surprised that an Olympic champion and world-record holder could look so much like a bookstore clerk. I saw teammate Jennifer Rodriguez answering questions about her bronze medal from the seat of an exercise bike she was riding.

I smelled countless sportswriters jammed onto slow-moving buses. I heard countless languages spoken at every turn. I saw the sun come up in the Wasatch Mountains, more times than was necessary to appreciate. I tasted too many hot dogs, some of them too many times.

I heard Swiss curling fans burst into quick, incomprehensible chants. I saw Lech Walesa sitting in the warm sunshine, cheering a countryman. I saw one of the Games' greatest champions cry into his hands at the mention of his dead father. I saw an unknown luger fall short of a medal and embrace a dying father.

I saw one women's hockey team cry as the other threw its equipment in the air, one stick landing several rows into the crowd. I heard a goalie from Belarus nearly apologize for his team beating Sweden in men's hockey. I felt the noise when the Americans beat the Russians.

I saw a man from Nepal and a man from Cameroon embrace at the cross-country finish line. I saw a luger cry because he just watched his son compete in the same race he had. I heard Kenyan skier Philip Boit politely asking for the cell phone number of his hero, Norwegian cross-country legend Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. And I heard Daehle give it back.

I saw people with no chance of winning basking in the moment. And I was one of them.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Miscellaneous; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: olympicslist
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 761-780781-800801-820 ... 1,021-1,027 next last
To: RummyChick;hole_n_one
I saw that and posted about it around #500 or so. It was hilarious. Tristan Gale, slkeleton. She made a face at the NBC reporter!!! LOL
781 posted on 02/24/2002 7:40:36 PM PST by RedBloodedAmerican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 768 | View Replies]

To: nhoward14
"Is this a universal belief that I have detracted from the enjoyment of the people on the thread ....

Not as far as I'm concerned, FWIW.

782 posted on 02/24/2002 7:40:41 PM PST by MozartLover
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 734 | View Replies]

To: OldFriend
Probably the only honest thing Samaranch ever did was NOT say the Atlanta Games were the best ever.

Why?

783 posted on 02/24/2002 7:40:58 PM PST by Timesink
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 710 | View Replies]

To: glock rocks
'You Give Love a Bad Name' John Bon again... beachballs everywhere
784 posted on 02/24/2002 7:41:19 PM PST by codebreaker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 774 | View Replies]

To: Lancey Howard
I thoroughly enjoyed these Olympics because NBC really minimized the kibitzing by the fireplace and let the athletes take the spotlight.

You know, that's a good point. They could've gotten carried away with the hokey fireplace "chats" and the "I have an Olympic dream" pieces, and thankfully, they let the athletes performances speak for themselves. Gotta give NBC at least one brownie point for that.

785 posted on 02/24/2002 7:42:00 PM PST by kstewskis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 773 | View Replies]

To: MozartLover
ok... enough about me... 3 for and no against... by DemoRat election rules I have won
786 posted on 02/24/2002 7:42:16 PM PST by nhoward14
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 782 | View Replies]

To: Timesink
Rampant commercialism..or so HE thought.
787 posted on 02/24/2002 7:42:16 PM PST by codebreaker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 783 | View Replies]

To: nhoward14
Well crud..I was hoping for the Has Been show to continue with Wanted Dead or Alive...are all of these people volunteering or is this all the IOC could afford?
788 posted on 02/24/2002 7:42:19 PM PST by RummyChick
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 778 | View Replies]

To: codebreaker
Commercialism at the Atlanta Games..

Feh. Commericalism IS America. He's the greedy bastard that accepted the $$$$ bid. The Olympic rings are always for sale to the highest bidder in any industry.

789 posted on 02/24/2002 7:43:06 PM PST by Timesink
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 779 | View Replies]

To: nhoward14
Well, the 3 minutes of fireworks were absolutely fantastic - wish we could have seen them all.
790 posted on 02/24/2002 7:43:34 PM PST by Endeavor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 778 | View Replies]

To: codebreaker
Actually, the figures I read from NBC were that only 40% was to be live.
791 posted on 02/24/2002 7:43:34 PM PST by Amore
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 750 | View Replies]

To: RedBloodedAmerican
Steve Young!
792 posted on 02/24/2002 7:43:41 PM PST by codebreaker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 781 | View Replies]

To: Utah Girl
I'm just happy that we got through the Olympics without a terrorist attack. God Bless all those involved with security.

As for the rest of it, not really that important when you consider Sep 11, Danny Pearl, etc.

793 posted on 02/24/2002 7:44:00 PM PST by mcenedo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RummyChick
Red White and Blue drum set was cool.
794 posted on 02/24/2002 7:44:52 PM PST by codebreaker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 788 | View Replies]

To: RedBloodedAmerican;nhoward14
And no, mentioning Katrina Witt nude does not qualify as the rudest comment I have seen. Just don't follow it up with photos!

Ignore this man! Follow it up! She is SO HOT!

795 posted on 02/24/2002 7:45:21 PM PST by Timesink
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 747 | View Replies]

To: nhoward14
I mst be hallucinating. I coud've sworn I just saw Steve young singing with Bon Jovi.
796 posted on 02/24/2002 7:45:23 PM PST by MozartLover
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 786 | View Replies]

To: codebreaker
I feeling reaaaalllly Old ... fofl
797 posted on 02/24/2002 7:46:05 PM PST by Mo1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 794 | View Replies]

To: Amore
NBC was bragging in the N.Y. Times that they would go 60% live-they were just showing the 60% that was not dramatic or interesting!
798 posted on 02/24/2002 7:46:13 PM PST by codebreaker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 791 | View Replies]

Comment #799 Removed by Moderator

To: Utah Girl
I read in SI that the total cost will exceed $1.6 Billion (and the article was 2 month old). All but a small amount will be out of federal tax $. But, that includes the road reconstruction, Trax, the whole 9 yards. It probably doesn't include the security. As an example, they spent $2 mil on a fence around the VA hospital.

A bit of olympic trivia, the week it was announced that SLC won the bid for Olympics was the same week that OJ was prounced innocent.

800 posted on 02/24/2002 7:46:41 PM PST by Lokibob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 767 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 761-780781-800801-820 ... 1,021-1,027 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson